1. The Rigged Race
The rest of the world is one person;
It guides the guitar, networks like spiders,
Styles an epic, fights a pandemic
While finding time to stop, sip wine
And prance in merriment. It maroons me—
Strands me ashore—dazed, spitting sand,
Limping to sprint
Like all else, to stay relevant.
Not all thoughts put to paper turn to art.
Most are plainer than a feather, like
Empty vessels that clang and clatter.
Give me ten days in a cabin near a pond
And I’ll produce nothing more
Than socks soaked in semen.
For one to bloom, others must wither.
Some are losers. Losers all.
Longing for the penny to fall,
Rigged for failure for the good of all,
Crossing lips with lies, joints and drinks,
Caring too much what others think,
Hoping indulgent hell sells,
Knowing all will never be well.
2. Much Ado About Nostalgia
Dreaded day; when Macbeths and Caesars
Of our time kiss the feet of
Parasites and stereotypes.
When voters with vain philosophy
Lay claim of control over our polity,
And trolls, fake news and hashtags
Become the order of our hour.
Politics was once a game of predator and prey,
Of soliloquy and mastery, and tales of
Heroes and villains worthy—
Not succumb to sedated show businesses
And schemes a mockery of Machiavelli!
3. Prejudice
We hold these truths to be self-evident,
That all men are like mummies in chains—
Taut binds on blinded eyes, terrified
Tongues sealed tight, and mind fossilized
To fashion truth from ugly stereotypes.
“Woman, like man, is a human being!”
But such an assertion is merely abstract
As long as it remains caged in books,
Keeping the farce of morals intact.
In truth, none care for human parity—
Trampling on the trodden, abusing
Power on Rodneys and Floyds in poverty—
Until equality suits economy.
Wake up and smell the coffee!
Race wars are a thing of eternity
Because we, as a community, have failed
To ever germinate true harmony!
We relapse like addicts, stumbling
Into drunken dungeons of wars, turning
Riots of conversations and blaming
Politicians and parents for the past.
We forsake the art of the second chance,
Not living up to our words of wisdom,
Yet stand abhorred when freedom
Is left to the casual mercy of the sword.
4. Compliments
“Crafted like Sidney!” teeth speak, eyes blind
To monstrosity masquerading
As postmodern poesy. “Similes like Homer!”
To pretence lyrics by carrot-headed cretins—
Words flimsier bound than shoelaces
By rookie millions, minions of halfwittery
Who could never tell Ares from Aphrodite.
Bouquets of excess only find vases
Emptied in trucks by reeking employees.
But flowers of criticism
Are far from flowery.
Menace must never mar, doubt must seem ugly,
Else curly clauses and empty flamboyance
Shall sustain on poorer plaudits
And flattery where fables bury.
5. Education
Bright minds collect to together rot.
Squeeze new truths from old tomes
Like mudwater from wet cloth,
Dote on devils for good grades,
Read ‘Et tu’ before sticking in the blade,
Sip only broths of facts they want,
Then belittle juniors jokingly
Making mining truth an industry—
As if wariness of forgotten facts
Deserves collective ignominy
As atonement for crimes.
Is the point to learn, or to pass time?
P.S. I hid behind the moniker of TINTA since the account was opened on Instagram. Truth be told, this has always been my natural impulse. If I had my way, none of my works would be attributed to me. I write a lot of miserable stuff, which I don’t want attributed to my character. I am proud of my writing, but it is also comfortably the worst of me—where my most cynical, nihilist and antisocial tendencies come to fruit.
For a while, I hoped I could hide behind TINTA forever. Perhaps anonymity is cowardice, but it has always been my impulse. But people tell me there’s nothing sustainable about the moniker strategy—that I must put my name, centralize my content, ensure I take credit for everything in a brutal industry, blah blah blah.
So, briefly, let me introduce myself: I am Neil Nagwekar from Mumbai, India.
I don’t plan on abandoning the moniker TINTA though. Because there is a story behind TINTA, and I think it will take quite some time for it to be completed.
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